bao-bao
November 13th, 2008, 01:32
For those of you who haven't been approached by the beach-side vendors who work the area, this is for you.
If someone actually knows the guy pictured below, would you be so kind as to PM me? I'd be curious to know if there are any clues to his demeanor that day (or other days) or if it'll remain a total mystery. Thanks.
------------------------------------------------------
...And always remember to ask for the sale!
ThereтАЩs no doubt you see characters of every stripe and size while pissing away an afternoon on the tourist beaches of Thailand, and even more colorful ones in the sections affectionately referred to here as тАЬgayтАЭ. I donтАЩt mean literally colorful, although there are enough tints of pink-to-red on visiting farang to quantify an early sunset sky; but rather a quirky mix of nationalities, languages and, of course, personalities.
What makes it all the more entertaining is the endless parade of Thai locals as they make their rounds between the rows of sling chairs beneath the canopy of colorful umbrellas, plying their products and trades to all and sundry.
On one afternoonтАЩs lounging I observed at least two or three EACH foot, shoulder and body massagers, pedicurists, manicurists, people selling fruit, popsicles, ice cream, VCDs (adult and mainstream), DVDs (same same), CDs, sandals, scarves, T-shirts, jet-ski outings, island outings, sunglasses, BBQ shrimp, Crocs in a rainbow of colors and I'm sure many, many more things I canтАЩt immediately recall.
I suppose if they had a baht for each time they were told тАЬno, thank youтАЭ over the course of their career theyтАЩd retire with a nest egg larger than many who wave them away as if shooing away a fly circling their heads. As it is they make a humble but honest living and even the most cynical should admire their dedication and perseverance.
You learn quickly to avoid eye contact as they pass nearby (or risk finding yourself under full siege) but some come and stand next to you or at your feet, as if to wear your resistance down. For these more determined folk there is sometimes seemingly no understanding on their part of тАЬno thanksтАЭ, even in their mother tongue.
One young man in particular comes to mind; a man with тАЬmore patience than sense,тАЭ I thought at the time but I had to admire his determination.
He appeared in my peripheral vision as I was admiring the physique of a couple of 30-ish Thai men at the waterтАЩs edge and while I deliberately didnтАЩt make eye contact with him, he stood at my feet and stared at me for a couple of minutes until there was no gracious way to go back to my book and ignore him without feeling rude. looking just over the top of my book I could see he had on clean denim jeans and a long T-shirt, well laundered from black to a dark grey. Still only viewing him indirectly it looked as though he was carrying a stack of papers or something. Throwing better judgment to the warm afternoon breeze I looked up at his face.
Soft dark eyes looked back at me from a handsome but somewhat somber face, peeking out from beneath a curtain of long dark brown bangs. He didnтАЩt break into the smile I was expecting, but instead lifted the bundle up to his belly level where I could see it looked like a stack of over-sized construction or craft-paper cards, each covered on the outside with a colorful fabric.
With no change of expression he opened one of them and a yellow paper cut-out of an elephant rose from the center of it, making the distinctive crackling sound they do as it opened and the edges moved against each other. He stopped and stood, motionless. I looked at the elephant, up at his face, back at the card, then back up at him. тАЬNo thank you,тАЭ I said тАУ somewhat regretfully тАУ expecting him to close up тАЬshopтАЭ and move along out of my viewтАж but he didnтАЩt.
Still stone-faced he slipped the elephant card to the bottom of his deck and opened the next card. A small square two-toned building stood up from inside the card, making the same sound the elephant did. Again he stopped and stood there looking at me, card splayed open for my consideration. тАЬNo thank you,тАЭ I said a second time тАЬnot today.тАЭ
He closed the card, moved it to the bottom of the stack and opened a third card, this one with a different elephant, larger and orange this time. Again the expressionless look and again my refusal but I was getting a little uncomfortable, wondering if he was "all there" mentally but not wanting to appear impatient or impolite. He gave no indication of being stoned, drunk or unhappy, and I was puzzled.
We did this a few more times until it was getting to be humorous and I was laughing while waving each new card off, waiting to see if heтАЩd break a smile to share the silliness of the whole situation. After all, he was a handsome guy and probably had a dazzler of a smile, if heтАЩd just let loose with it. No such luck.
тАЬAha!тАЭ I thought to myself, as he was getting ready to open card number eight тАЬMaybe if I make like IтАЩm going to take his picture heтАЩll go away to avoid it or smile to try and make the sale!тАЭ I had my camera out and open, so I picked it up, smiled at him and said тАЬyim!тАЭ while focusing on him. Nothing.
I took two pictures, nearly identical because he didnтАЩt move a visible muscle and then set the camera down, sat up as best one can in a beachside sling chair and stared back at him, squarely in the eyes. тАЬIтАЩm sorry,тАЭ I began in my more-than-clumsy Thai тАЬbut I donтАЩt want to buy anything now.тАЭ I took out one of the quarter-folded 20 baht notes I keep in my pocket for just such things and handed it to him. тАЬGood luck today,тАЭ I said with a smile, and he turned and moved a couple of steps away from me, scanning the chairs ahead for his next stop.
http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/albumpics/2724.jpg
If someone actually knows the guy pictured below, would you be so kind as to PM me? I'd be curious to know if there are any clues to his demeanor that day (or other days) or if it'll remain a total mystery. Thanks.
------------------------------------------------------
...And always remember to ask for the sale!
ThereтАЩs no doubt you see characters of every stripe and size while pissing away an afternoon on the tourist beaches of Thailand, and even more colorful ones in the sections affectionately referred to here as тАЬgayтАЭ. I donтАЩt mean literally colorful, although there are enough tints of pink-to-red on visiting farang to quantify an early sunset sky; but rather a quirky mix of nationalities, languages and, of course, personalities.
What makes it all the more entertaining is the endless parade of Thai locals as they make their rounds between the rows of sling chairs beneath the canopy of colorful umbrellas, plying their products and trades to all and sundry.
On one afternoonтАЩs lounging I observed at least two or three EACH foot, shoulder and body massagers, pedicurists, manicurists, people selling fruit, popsicles, ice cream, VCDs (adult and mainstream), DVDs (same same), CDs, sandals, scarves, T-shirts, jet-ski outings, island outings, sunglasses, BBQ shrimp, Crocs in a rainbow of colors and I'm sure many, many more things I canтАЩt immediately recall.
I suppose if they had a baht for each time they were told тАЬno, thank youтАЭ over the course of their career theyтАЩd retire with a nest egg larger than many who wave them away as if shooing away a fly circling their heads. As it is they make a humble but honest living and even the most cynical should admire their dedication and perseverance.
You learn quickly to avoid eye contact as they pass nearby (or risk finding yourself under full siege) but some come and stand next to you or at your feet, as if to wear your resistance down. For these more determined folk there is sometimes seemingly no understanding on their part of тАЬno thanksтАЭ, even in their mother tongue.
One young man in particular comes to mind; a man with тАЬmore patience than sense,тАЭ I thought at the time but I had to admire his determination.
He appeared in my peripheral vision as I was admiring the physique of a couple of 30-ish Thai men at the waterтАЩs edge and while I deliberately didnтАЩt make eye contact with him, he stood at my feet and stared at me for a couple of minutes until there was no gracious way to go back to my book and ignore him without feeling rude. looking just over the top of my book I could see he had on clean denim jeans and a long T-shirt, well laundered from black to a dark grey. Still only viewing him indirectly it looked as though he was carrying a stack of papers or something. Throwing better judgment to the warm afternoon breeze I looked up at his face.
Soft dark eyes looked back at me from a handsome but somewhat somber face, peeking out from beneath a curtain of long dark brown bangs. He didnтАЩt break into the smile I was expecting, but instead lifted the bundle up to his belly level where I could see it looked like a stack of over-sized construction or craft-paper cards, each covered on the outside with a colorful fabric.
With no change of expression he opened one of them and a yellow paper cut-out of an elephant rose from the center of it, making the distinctive crackling sound they do as it opened and the edges moved against each other. He stopped and stood, motionless. I looked at the elephant, up at his face, back at the card, then back up at him. тАЬNo thank you,тАЭ I said тАУ somewhat regretfully тАУ expecting him to close up тАЬshopтАЭ and move along out of my viewтАж but he didnтАЩt.
Still stone-faced he slipped the elephant card to the bottom of his deck and opened the next card. A small square two-toned building stood up from inside the card, making the same sound the elephant did. Again he stopped and stood there looking at me, card splayed open for my consideration. тАЬNo thank you,тАЭ I said a second time тАЬnot today.тАЭ
He closed the card, moved it to the bottom of the stack and opened a third card, this one with a different elephant, larger and orange this time. Again the expressionless look and again my refusal but I was getting a little uncomfortable, wondering if he was "all there" mentally but not wanting to appear impatient or impolite. He gave no indication of being stoned, drunk or unhappy, and I was puzzled.
We did this a few more times until it was getting to be humorous and I was laughing while waving each new card off, waiting to see if heтАЩd break a smile to share the silliness of the whole situation. After all, he was a handsome guy and probably had a dazzler of a smile, if heтАЩd just let loose with it. No such luck.
тАЬAha!тАЭ I thought to myself, as he was getting ready to open card number eight тАЬMaybe if I make like IтАЩm going to take his picture heтАЩll go away to avoid it or smile to try and make the sale!тАЭ I had my camera out and open, so I picked it up, smiled at him and said тАЬyim!тАЭ while focusing on him. Nothing.
I took two pictures, nearly identical because he didnтАЩt move a visible muscle and then set the camera down, sat up as best one can in a beachside sling chair and stared back at him, squarely in the eyes. тАЬIтАЩm sorry,тАЭ I began in my more-than-clumsy Thai тАЬbut I donтАЩt want to buy anything now.тАЭ I took out one of the quarter-folded 20 baht notes I keep in my pocket for just such things and handed it to him. тАЬGood luck today,тАЭ I said with a smile, and he turned and moved a couple of steps away from me, scanning the chairs ahead for his next stop.
http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/albumpics/2724.jpg